Embarking on lifelong learning for their families

Upskilling and reskilling at NTUC LearningHub gave these family men the career boost they needed.

His daughter’s simple request for a new school bag led Mr Yazid Hamid to embark on a life-changing path.

Mr Yazid – who was living with his wife and children in a room at his parents’ home at that time – had to turn down his daughter.

The father of four, who had a post-secondary qualification, was a delivery driver in the day and a cleaning supervisor at night. He knew he needed to achieve greater financial stability and career progression for the sake of his family, and was motivated to start looking into upskilling himself.

While researching, Mr Yazid discovered NTUC LearningHub, a continuing education and training provider that offers an array of courses designed to empower workers with relevant skills and job-ready capabilities.

Alongside fellow dads Mr Desmond Ang and Mr Palanivelu Raja Manickam (also known as Mr Velu), Mr Yazid was inspired to take up courses at NTUC LearningHub and advance his career, so that he could give his family a better life.

STARTING OVER – AND DOING BETTER

After speaking to his family and friends, Mr Yazid decided to take up a Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) qualification at NTUC LearningHub. He felt that the barrier to entry was fairly low and there was a steady demand for WSH professionals in Singapore.

The six months spent studying for his Advanced Certificate in WSH were not easy. Mr Yazid continued his delivery job in the day but had to sacrifice his night-time cleaning supervisor position to attend evening classes. To make up for the shortfall, he worked extra hours on weekends.

Assessment periods were even tougher, as he had to stay up late at night to revise and prepare for the assessments. Through it all, Mr Yazid persevered – and was rewarded when he secured his certificate, which was quickly followed by a job as a safety coordinator at a construction company.

The stability and pay increment that came with his new job eventually allowed him to move into his own flat with his family. Now, Mr Yazid is looking at furthering his career, and taking up a WSH diploma.

To others who worry it might be too late to begin anew, he said: “Never give up. If you resolve to look forward, things will become better. There is never a stop to learning. I am in my 40s, and I feel I still have a lot to learn!”

PIVOTING INTO A NEW INDUSTRY, WITH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Mr Ang, then a general manager at a small construction firm, initially wanted to find out how technology could help advance the built environment industry. This passing interest soon became a catalyst for a new career.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Ang, who is in his 30s, thought it an opportune moment to move into the tech industry. He had a part-time IT diploma under his belt and was eager to apply his knowledge. However, with only academic exposure thus far, he needed relevant practical experience and skills. Thus, he enrolled in a Java developer course at NTUC LearningHub.

“With NTUC LearningHub’s course, we had to code while learning Java and its related technologies,” he explained. “In a diploma course I took earlier, I learnt about normalisation of data and the theory behind it. The NTUC LearningHub course had us perform the normalisation of data and build an application on top of this data, with advice and guidance from our very experienced instructors. This helped me gain the hands-on experience I was looking for.”

Mr Ang now finds the codes and databases he works with in his current role as a software engineer less intimidating and easier to understand.

Today, he looks forward to building a career in tech that will benefit him and his family. Said Mr Ang: “I want a brighter future for myself and my loved ones.” 

CLIMBING THE CORPORATE LADDER WITH MANAGEMENT SKILLS

For Mr Velu, the high safety standards of the oil and gas industry – which he joined as an operations executive in 2015 – motivated him to learn more about safety regulations, so that he could do his job to the best of his ability.

After receiving his WSH qualification from NTUC LearningHub, he was given more responsibilities at work and began his climb up the career ladder. The most significant leap was made when he enrolled in NTUC LearningHub’s Project Management Professional course, which equipped him with the skills to manage projects and teams effectively.

Mr Velu, who is in his 30s and the father of twin boys, is now a deputy operations manager at an environmental and cleaning services company, with around 100 people under his charge. His career wins are the result of many long nights and hard work, complicated further by the COVID-19 pandemic that saw classes moved online during the circuit breaker period.

“I had to get familiar with the online learning culture and absorb new information during the lessons,” he recounted. “Plus, I had to put in extra effort to pay attention as I had my kids running around, as they were also confined at home. It was difficult to get used to so many things all at once.”

Mr Velu now prides himself on his competency in using Zoom, as well as his newly honed presentation skills.

To prepare himself for senior positions in the future, Mr Velu intends to sign up for more leadership and management courses at NTUC LearningHub.

“My lifelong learning journey is something that has added value to my career,” he reflected. “I believe that if we choose to stop learning, it is almost the end of the road.”

Want to take the first step in upskilling yourself? Learn more about the courses available at NTUC LearningHub.